Children{40 s toy with resilient ball supporting resilient obstacles

ABSTRACT

A children&#39;&#39;s amusement toy of a resilient base member removably supporting several resilient upstanding members is disclosed. The base member is of a length and width sufficient to permit several children to sumultaneously run and play thereon. The upstanding members, certain of which are at least twenty-four inches high, are mounted in supportive depressions in the base to provide spaced resilient obstacles and play toys for the amusement of children.

ilmted States Patent 1 [111 3,73%,5ta Drapcho May 1, 1973 54] CHILDREN'STOY WITH RESILIENT 3,242,509 3/1966 Nissen ..272/60 x BALL SUPPORTINGRESILIENT 3,518,786 7/1970 Haltvoigt ..46/24 B T E 1,848,598 3/1932Barnes ..46/l A UX 0 S ACL S 3,101,949 8/1963 Williams ...273/l95 R X[75] Inventor: Joseph E. Drapcho, Minneapolis, 7 f

Minn FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 73 Assigneez The MinneapolisSociety of Fine 250,063 10/1966 Austria ..35/3l D Arts, Minneapolis,Minn.

Primary ExaminerR1chard C. Pinkham [22] Flled: 8, 1971 AssistantExaminerR T. Stouffer [21 pp N Att0rneyWicks 8L Nemer [57] ABSTRACT 52US. Cl. ..27 l 1 Int CL A63 1 A childrens amusement toy of a resilientbase [58] Fieid i 60 i 6 /1 member removably supporting severalresilient up- 35/22 A 29 F 31 161/13 standing members is disclosed. Thebase member is of 22 a length and width sufficient to permit severalchildren to sumultaneously run and play thereon. The upstanding members,certain of which are at least twenty-four [56] References Cited incheshigh, are mounted in supportive depressions in UNITED STATES PATENTS thebase to provide spaced resilient obstacles and play toys for theamusement of children. 3,078,616 2/1963 Selwyn-Smith ..l6l/2l X3,628,790 12/1971 Gordon ..272/6O X 10 Claims, 3 Drawing FiguresPATENTEU HAY 1 1975 INVENTOR.

d'oseph E Drapcba M e W 477080545 CHILDREN 'S TOY WITH RESILIENT BALLSUPPORTING RESILIENT OBSTACLES BACKGROUND satile enough to allow a childfull use of his imagina- 1 tion, which is easy to fabricate, and whichis easy to transport and assemble. The present invention provides such atoy.

In summary, a preferred embodiment of the childrens toy of the presentinvention includes a foot thick vinyl-covered foam mat or base withfourteen variously sized cylindrical supportive depressions formedtherein. Fourteen variously sized vinyl-covered foam cylinders arearranged to removably fit within the depressions in the mat, derivesupport from the mat, and present spaced resilient obstacles with whichand through which a child may amuse himself. Each foam cylinder isremovable from its depression for easy transportation, assembly, andplay. And the mat itself may be easily rolled and unrolled for ease oftransportation and assembly.

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a novelchildrens toy.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novelchildren-s toy which is versatile and allows a child to use hisimagination.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novelchildrens toy which is easy to fabricate.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novelchildren s toy which is easy to transport.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novelchildren s toy which is easy to assemble.

This and further objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome clearer in the light of the following detailed description of anillustrative embodiment of this invention described in connection withthe drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of thechildrens play toy of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the childrens play toy of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 shows a fragmentary cross sectional view of a portion of FIG. 2according to the section lines 33 in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION In the figures, a children's play toy. generally designated10, is shown as comprising a base 12 and several resilient upstandingmembers 13 to 26 which are arranged to removably fit within supportapertures in the form of depressions 27 to 40, respectively, definedwithin base 12. Base 12 is of sufficient depth, 12 inches in thepreferred embodiment shown, to support the upstanding members 13 to 26such that each extends vertically from the top surface 42 of base 12.

Upstanding members 13 to 26 are arranged in a manner to present spacedresilient obstacles for the amusement of children. In the preferredembodiment shown, each of upstanding members 13, 14, 15, 16, 22,

23, 24, 25, 26, and 19 are spaced 6 inches from the edges of base 12.Also, upstanding member 13 is spaced 18 inches from upstanding member14; upstanding member 14 is spaced 6 inches from member 17 and 12 inchesfrom member 15; members 15, 16, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26 are spaced l2inches apart; and member 19 is spaced 6 inches from member 20, 12 inchesfrom member 26, and 18 inches from member 0 13. This spacing allows forchildren to pass between and among the resilient upstanding members 13to 26 and to treat the array and arrangement of upstanding members 13 to26 as resilient obstacles for their amusement.

To accomplish this spacing, the preferred embodiment of base or mat 12is 96 inches square. This dimension allows ample room between theupstanding resilient members, as indicated above, and allows ample roomfor several children to simultaneously play upon the childrens play toy10 of the present invention.

To adequately support the upstanding members 13 to 26 in the preferredembodiment, mat or base 12 is 12 inches thick to thus provide a maximumof 12 inches of vertical support for each upstanding member.

In the preferred embodiment, upstanding members 13 to 26 are variouslysized to further enhance enjoyment of children playing with them. Forexample, member 13 in the preferred embodiment is 24 inches high;members 14 and 19 are 39 inches high; and the remaining members are 54inches high. Further, in the preferred embodiment member 13 is 24 inchesin diameter, members 14 and 19 are 18 inches in diameter; and theremaining members are 12 inches in diameter. Thus, by the dimensioningof the various upstanding members, each is significant with respect tothe height and reach of a child.

Further, it has been found that by variously coloring the upstandingmembers, the childrens amusement can be further enhanced. For example,in the preferred embodiment members 14, 16, and 22 are red; members 13,I8, 21, and 23 are blue; members 19, 24, and 25 are green; and members15, 17, 20, and 26 are white. Further, the mat is in a blue coloration.

As best seen with respect to FIG. 3, the play toy 10 of the presentinvention is relatively easy to fabricate. Each upstanding member, suchas upstanding member 13 shown in FIG. 3, is formed of an outer vinylcover 42 such as of 14 ounce Nylo-tuff vinyl which is machine stitchedwith Dacron thread. Member 13 is filled with a conventional resilientfoam material 44, such as number 1634 Napco foam. Each of the cylindersincludes a handle such as handle 46 attached to the bottom of member 13,which handle is further made of 14 ounce Nylo-tuff vinyl machinestitched with Dacron thread.

The base 12 also includes an outer covering 48 of a vinyl materialsimilar or identical to that covering each of the upstanding members.Further, the base 12 is filled with a foam material 50 of similar oridentical type to the foam 44 used within each of the upstandingmembers. The outside edges of the base 12 are machine stitched with aDacron thread, however the depressions, such as depression 27 shown inFIG. 3, are hand stitched with Dacron thread.

In playing with the childrens play toy of the present invention, severalchildren may simultaneously run and play in and among the variousupstanding members 13 to 26, lift the members out of the variousdepressions, hold onto the upstanding members as by handle 46, strikeone another with the resilient upstanding members, sit in thedepressions vacated by the various upstanding members, and otherwise usetheir imaginations to play and amuse themselves on this highly versatiletoy. As any of the upstanding members are bumped by the children when inplace within its respective depressions, the support and foundationprovided by its depression within base 12 together with the resiliencyof the foam filling of the upstanding member will cause it to bounceback intoan upright position.

It may now be appreciated that all of the upstanding members may bequickly removed from their respective depressions and stacked fortransportation. Also, the base 12 may be quickly folded or rolled fortransportation. Also, in a converse but similar sense, the childrensamusement toy 10 of the present invention may be unloaded and veryquickly assembled so that it may be used by children.

Now that the basic features of the present invention have beenexplained, many extensions and variations will be obvious to one havingordinary skill in the art. F orexample, many other sizes or shapes maybe chosen from the preferred embodiment given. The preferred embodimenthas proven quire successful in use, however.

Thus, since the invention disclosed herein may be embodied in otherspecific forms without departing from the spirit or generalcharacteristics thereof, some of which forms have been indicated, theembodiments described herein are to be considered in all respectsillustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention isindicated by the appendedclaims, rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofthe equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. A childrens play toy, comprising: a resilient base of a length andwidth sufficient to permit several children to simultaneously run andplay thereon, the base being provided with .several spaced supportopenings therein and several upstanding members constructed of a soft,resilient material, the members fitting into the support openingsdefined in the base; each opening being provided with a preformed wallportion which extends downwardly into the base sufficiently such thatthe opening forms a socket for receiving and holding one of theupstanding members; each of the upstanding members extending lengthwisein a substantially vertical direction upwardly from the supportingopenings, certain of the members being at least 24 inches high, suchthat the members present spaced resilient obstacles for the amusement ofchildren.-

2. The childrens play toy of claim 1, wherein the supporting openingswithin the base comprise depressions defined within the base.

3. The childrens play toy of claim 2, wherein the upstanding resilientmembers are arranged to removably mount within the depression in thebase.

. The childrens play toy of claim 3, wherein the upstanding members areof various sizes to present a more interesting amusement toy.

5. The childrens play toy of claim 4, wherein the base comprises asubstantially flat member, wherein each of the depressions definedwithin the base is spaced at least 6 inches from a boundary of the base;and wherein each of the depressions defined within the base is spaced atleast 6 inches from each other depression with the base to allow for themovement of a child in and around each of the upstanding members and toprovide adequate support for each of the upstanding members adjacent theedges of the base.

6. The children s play toy of claim 5, wherein each of the resilientbase and upstanding resilient members comprise an outer covering havingfoam filling therein.

7. The childrens play toy of claim 1, wherein the upstanding resilientmembers are arranged to removably mount within the depression in thebase.

8. The childrens play toy of claim 1, wherein the upstanding members areof various sizes to present a more interesting amusement toy.

9. The childrens play toy of claim 1, wherein the base comprises asubstantially flat member, wherein each of the apertures defined withinthe base is spaced at least 6 inches from a boundary of the base; andwherein each of the apertures defined within the base is spaced at least6 inches from each other aperture with the base to allow for themovement of a child in and around each of the upstanding members and toprovide adequate support for each of the upstanding members adjacent theedges of the base.

, 10. The childrens play toy of claim 1, wherein each of the resilientbase and upstanding resilient members comprise an outer covering havingfoam filling therein.

1. A children''s play toy, comprising: a resilient base of a length andwidth sufficient to permit several children to simultaneously run andplay thereon, the base being provided with several spaced supportopenings therein and several upstanding members constructed of a soft,resilient material, the members fitting into the support openingsdefined in the base; each opening being provided with a preformed wallportion which extends downwardly into the base sufficiently such thatthe opening forms a socket for receiving and holding one of theupstanding members; each of the upstanding members extending lengthwisein a substantially vertical direction upwardly from the supportingopenings, certain of the members being at least 24 inches high, suchthat the members present spaced resilient obstacles for the amusement ofchildren.
 2. The children''s play toy of claim 1, wherein the supportingopenings within the base comprise depressions defined within the base.3. The children''s play toy of claim 2, wherein the upstanding resilientmembers are arranged to removably mount within the depression in thebase.
 4. The children''s play toy of claim 3, wherein the upstandingmembers are of various sizes to present a more interesting amusementtoy.
 5. The children''s play toy of claim 4, wherein the base comprisesa substantially flat member, wherein each of the depressions definedwithin the base is spaced at least 6 inches from a boundary of the base;and wherein each of the depressions defined within the base is spaced atleast 6 inches from each other depression with the base to allow for themovement of a child in and around each of the upstanding members and toprovide adequate support for each of the upstanding members adjacent theedges of the base.
 6. The children''s play toy of claim 5, wherein eachof the resilient base and upstanding resilient members comprise an outercovering having foam filling therein.
 7. The children''s play toy ofclaim 1, wherein the upstanding resilient members are arranged toremovably mount within the depression in the base.
 8. The children''splay toy of claim 1, wherein the upstanding members are of various sizesto present a more interesting amusement toy.
 9. The children''s play toyof claim 1, wherein the base comprises a substantially flat member,wherein each of the apertures defined within the base is spaced at least6 inches from a boundary of the base; and wherein each of the aperturesdefined within the base is spaced at least 6 inches from each otheraperture with the base to allow for the movement of a child in andaround each of the upstanding members and to provide adequate supportfor each of the upstanding members adjacent the edges of the base. 10.The children''s play toy of claim 1, wherein each of the resilient baseand upstanding resilient members comprise an outer covering having foamfilling therein.